


The Balance

by dearxalchemist



Series: Our Balancing Act [1]
Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: F/M, OT3, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-22 18:29:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2517560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearxalchemist/pseuds/dearxalchemist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They are trained professionals and walk in a line of three towards the warehouse. The kick of red dust is everywhere, the sun is starting its descent in the sky and Seth is the first one to fire a shot into the lock on the warehouse doors. The events that lead up to the arrest of Kate Fuller.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Balance

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone asked so nicely for more ot3 and how could I deny them that? Here are the quickly edited, probably a couple errors in there, events that lead up to the fic "Overcoming The Balance."

“Hold still…” 

“Why?” 

“Because I said so,” Kate’s voice is soft and there’s the faintest trace of a laugh grazing her words. Her lips are curved up into a delicate smile and she’s on her knees on the mattress. Even on her knees he’s still an inch or so taller than her as he sits on the edge of the motel bed. Richie’s glasses are in her fingers and she’s playing with the edges of the frames. 

“What are you doing with those?” He rolls his eyes to her hands and then up to her face where he can’t help but let himself smile. It’s nothing big, just the corners of his lips quirking up in amusement. Kate is way too happy and it’s infectious. 

“It’s only fair,” Kate starts before she plants them on her face. The glasses are too big for her. They slide down to the tip of her nose and she has to squint through the lenses to get a little hint of focus. She can’t see much at all. His vision before his change must have been awful. The whole motel room is a blur of sandy colors and his face is just as bad. She can only see an unfocused Richie leaning in and she blinks before he’s kissing her. His lips crash into her’s and his hand is moving up, sliding along her face. His palm pressing over her cheek as he kisses her harder, parting his lips over hers and pushing his tongue along her bottom lip. Richie barely waits for her to respond before he’s invading her mouth. His tongue slips over hers and she can definitely feel the difference in body heat between them. Kate is all warm and Richie is cool to the touch, even his lips are cool and the palm that presses over her cheek sends shivers down her spine. 

Then just as quickly as it started, it is over and he’s pulling the glasses off of her face. Her world comes back into focus and Kate blinks a few times before letting her bright eyes fall on his. He’s got that infamous Gecko smirk tugging at his lips. “You looked too good with those on,” he tells her as she watches him fold the glasses up and tuck them into his suit pocket. 

“Ah, why do you keep them if you don’t need them anymore?” Kate asks as she settles down on her knees, sitting back a bit and running her hands over the front of her jean clad thighs. 

Richie contemplates her for a moment and then gives a shrug of his shoulders. “I don’t really have a reason to. They’re pieces of me. Pieces of my past. Pieces of things I don’t want to forget.” 

Kate lets his words roll around in her thoughts for a moment before she reaches up. Her index finger curls over the small gold cross around her throat. It belonged to her Mama and she rarely takes it off. Her fingers stroke over the necklace as she looks to Richie. In her own way she understands why he keeps them. It’s the same reason she keeps the cross even if God has left her to die in the desert filled with snakes. She keeps the promise ring on her left hand for the same reason. Kate is untouched still. She’s virgin territory and full of sacrificial light that works like a beacon to attract the enemy. They use her light as bait for the creatures of the night, but no one talks about it. Kate has tried to bring up the subject of losing the light, but the boys shut her down every single time. So she doesn’t bring it up anymore. Instead she just lets her eyes fall on Richie.

The two of them are alone in the motel room. They’ve been alone since Kate woke up with his arms around her, his head pressed to the side of her ribs. He was holding to her like a child would their favorite toy, fingers absentmindedly running small trails over her back and occasionally slipping lower to the edge of her waist. There was no older Gecko to her other side, no stubble burns down her throat, as he normally wakes her. That meant Seth had gone on a supplies run. He’d be back soon and they could eat, pack and leave for a hunt. It would be dark soon and perfect for raiding a nest of serpents. Then once they won their battle they could move on. They were a regular rag-tag trio of outcasts. The Preacher’s daughter with the two sinners at her side, one of them made of fire and the other cold-blooded. 

Richie is looking at her again. His fingers are sliding from her face down to her lips where his thumb is running over the bottom line of them. She raises both eyebrows to him as she watches him lean in a little closer. He’s looking paler than normal. His eyes aren’t as bright and the edge of his lips are pale. He needs blood. He needs to hunt and he needs to replenish his strength but Seth isn’t around to offer up a vein. Richie rarely ever feeds off Kate. He tells her it’s because she’s so small, but Kate knows he has self-control issues in this new side of life. So she never offers because stopping Richie has never been easy. 

His fingers are slipping down her jaw now and curving at her neck. Kate tilts her brunette head back just a bit, feeling her hair fall further down her back. It’s gotten so long in the past year, traveling with the Gecko’s hardly gives her time for self-maintenance. Besides, the boys like it long. She can tell by the way Seth’s fingers are always diving into it, and Richie plays with the curls that turn up around her shoulders. She wears it up on the hunts and when they win their battle, Richie is the one who pulls her in and tugs it free. Seth’s hands wrap around her waist and Richie’s fingers are sliding through her hair before they walk away from the bodies that are turning to dust. 

Kate is still watching him move and the words come out before she’s able to stop them. 

“You can feed off of me,” She watches him and the conflict that passes over his face as his lips part to object. He needs to feed and Kate knows it. He wants it and she can tell that by the way his eyes are slipping down to her throat. He’s studying her like she’s a piece of art and then something shifts in his eyes as he pushes on her head a bit, tilting it to the side. Now she feels like a piece of meat in the butcher’s shop. Richie’s hand closes around her neck and his thumb starts stroking down the front of her throat as he shifts on the mattress. 

“Katie,” Her name is soft coming from him. It almost sounds like he’s out of breath as his thumb strokes lower and she swallows hard, “You don’t know what you’re asking.” 

Kate sucks in a deep breath, feeling her lungs expand to capacity as she watches him and starts to nod her dark head. “I do, I know you need it. You need to feed if we’re going to go tonight. Seth and I can’t hunt alone.” 

It’s true, they can’t take on the nest alone. A key part of their plan is using Richie to invade the nest first as one of their own and then he runs them out into the dangerous path of Seth and Kate. Richie is crucial to their plan, he can’t let himself become weak over blood if they want to survive the long nights. Kate tilts her head back a little further, she’s almost off balance and starts to pull her legs out from under her when Richie’s weight starts pressing over the front of her. She can feel him moving off the edge of the mattress, sliding up further to cover her. It’s easy for him to do, she’s forever petite to his towering size. Her eyes slowly start to close when she feels his lips start at the corner of her mouth. She doesn’t get to respond to the kiss. His hands slip down over her throat and he’s moving his fingers under the collar of her shirt to pull it to the side. He doesn’t want to get blood on her white shirt. His mouth slides lower and Kate starts to sink back into the cheap mattress when the door swings open. 

“Well now,” The voice is loud and annoyed sounding. It’s enough to make Kate’s eyes quickly open and she turns her head over to see Seth kicking the door closed with his foot, plastic bags balanced in his grip. He has four or five bags from different places, grocery store and hardware store and one that looks like a woman’s clothing store. He’s probably bought her a new outfit since culebra hunting is not kind to clothing. Blood is hard to get out of fabric and claws do more damage than a sewing needle can repair. The trio has come to just burning their clothes every chance they get to avoid attention from motel maids and other staff members. Seth shifts his weight foot to foot and his brows are furrowing in annoyance, “Aren’t you two a sight? I go out for a few hours to take care of us and you two are goofing off.” 

Kate’s hands move down to Richie’s chest where she attempts to push him off of her for a moment. He is solid and unmoving, his fingers are still gripping in to her shirt as she tries harder to shove him away. Her elbows start to shake a little as she pushes once more. 

“No, that’s not what we’re doing,” Kate insists softly, but it’s hard to argue when Richie’s not letting go of her. He’s holding tighter to her as if testing her strength. Kate knows she really is no match for him. She eventually ceases all of her pushing and shoving. She can feel him nuzzling his nose closer to her pulse point. It’s like her heart is going into overdrive and she’s worried for a moment that both of the boys can hear it, “We weren’t doing anything like that.”

“Looks like it to me,” Richie breathes against her throat as he leans in closer and Seth is setting down the bags. His dark head turns there way and his eyes linger on Kate’s before watching his brother start parting his lips along her throat.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?” His voice comes out in that same loud tone and Kate’s eyes flick up to him as she feels Richie’s mouth open up along her neck. She can feel his cool breath brushing over the hollow of her throat and it raises chill bumps along her flesh. She resists the urge to shiver though and swallows down any protests to Seth as Richie’s tongue touches her flesh. 

“What does it look like?” Richie asks against Kate’s throat as he finds the soft spot where her pulse is jumping below the soft skin. The tip of his nose starts to nuzzle down below the pulse point. She jumps under him a bit and he flicks his tongue out over the freckles that are dotted along her flesh. 

“It looks like you’re about to bite her, Count Dracula. Off. You know the deal. We’ve talked about this!” Seth is moving closer and his hands are reaching over Richie’s shoulders. They close over him and he yanks back. Richie is difficult to move though, because his arms are around Kate and she moves when Seth pulls on his brother. Kate gives off a tiny squeak as Seth pulls again and she collides with Richie when he pulls her up to annoy Seth. 

“She offered!” Richie is fighting like a young child would, a whine to his elegant tone and his lips twisting into a pout. 

“I doubt that. Now let go of her.” Seth is angry. He is protective of the both of them but, especially over Kate. She thinks its because she’s still human and pieces of him love her like she loves him. She loves Richie too, even if he isn’t human. Kate is all soft flesh and bone. She’s injured easier than the brothers and thats something Seth brings up a lot after a hunt. 

Eventually Richie releases Kate, but he’s starting to look just as annoyed as Seth. He’s paler though and his eyes are edged in yellow. Almost like he was about to bite just before Seth entered the room. His older brother lets go of him and pulls off his suit jacket before he starts unbuttoning the cuff on his arm. He undoes the buttons and pulls up his sleeves. One arm is covered in dark flames, the other is untouched by anything other than puncture wounds from Richie’s need for sustenance. 

“I don’t want what you’re offering.” Richie puts up a hand in protest, “You still taste like shit. There’s not enough changes in your diet to ever fix that.” 

“Yeah, well I’m all you got so, cheers.” Seth crosses the room and holds his arm out, but Richie’s shaking his head and moves to stand. The two of them are arguing in no time. It doesn’t take much to start the Gecko brother’s off in a temper tantrum but they almost always work out their problems. Seth is slightly shorter than his baby brother but it doesn’t mean he backs down. Even if Richie is culebra, he’s still Richie and he’s still his brother. Seth’s fingers poke at Richie’s chest and his brother shrinks back for a moment before looking over to Kate. He’s looking directly at her exposed neck. Seth’s hand moves up to Richie’s face and pulls him away from the view. 

“We talked about this,” Seth is serious again and he pats Richie’s cheek with his palm. “You can bite me or we’ll go find you someone. You do not drink from her.” 

Richie looks discouraged for a moment and then rolls his eyes like he’s given up but, not for good. “Fine, go sit. I can’t drink from you when you’re standing. It’s like cheap boxed wine, one move and it’s everywhere.” His gaze flicks to Kate as Seth passes him to move to the bed, “Kate however, smells divine. I bet it’s decadent.” 

He says it as his eyes slip down to her neck again and Kate feels the flush crawling up her tan skin and tries not to think about what her blood tastes like on Richie’s tongue. She doesn’t get to linger on the idea for long before Seth is marching over to the bed with his sleeves pulled up and a tired look on his face. She moves over for him when he comes to sit on the edge of the bed. His tattooed arm stretches over and his hand clasps down on her jean-clad knee gently. 

“I got you some clothes and that shampoo you like so much,” He talks like this is a normal situation. His voice is level and his words are average, all of it something like a normal couple would talk about. 

Perhaps in someway this is their very own slice of normal. Or it’s their version of it, Seth talking while Richie kneels next to the bed. His hands are pulling Seth’s other arm up for leverage. Kate moves a little closer to watch, neck stretched out and bottom lip sliding between her teeth in a worrying motion. She’s only seen Richie feed a handful of times. Mostly in battle and once when she came out of the shower, his face had been pressed into the crook of Seth’s neck and he was feeding. There was blood dripping all over the front of Seth’s white shirt and Seth’s eyes had shot open to yell at her, but before he could she slammed the bathroom door shut. She’d never really seen it up close and personal. His hands turned Seth’s arm over to the soft flesh of the forearm and Seth turns his head over to Kate, looking away from Richie. He rather look at her than his brother right now. If he looks at Richie, then he can’t convince himself that his brother is unchanged. 

Kate watches intently as Seth slips his tattooed arm up and around her shoulders. His hand slides along the back of her head, playing with the thick tresses of her hair. His fingers start stroking down along the base of her neck, gently smoothing over until his palm settles there and he guides her attention from his brother to his own face. “Look at me,” Seth commands, but it’s not harsh. His voice is soft and breathy and his thumb is moving over the edge of her shoulder. 

Kate obliges him and just as she looks away, Richie bites Seth and the older Gecko hisses. He pulls Kate in a bit and presses his forehead over hers. He presses his mouth into a tight line and she watches him clench his teeth up. His eyes are closed and she can see the muscle twitching in his jaw before he takes a shuddering breath and relaxes. 

“Does it hurt?” Kate whispers the question softly as a sense of worry comes over her, watching Seth grit his teeth in pain is making all kinds of alarm bells go off in her head. Seth is never weak and if he is, he doesn’t show it. It’s how he works, it’s who he is and it’s how Kate loves him. She doesn’t have to worry about him falling apart until they’re in the sheets and his head is pressed in to the crook of her neck where he lets himself go. 

“No, princess.” He hisses out softly before his fingers tighten in Kate’s hair. Kate can hear faint sucking noises coming from his other side but, Seth doesn’t let her look. Instead he pulls her closer, “But you can kiss it and make it better.” 

She tries not to laugh at his attempt to be smooth and instead moves in with his gentle pulling. She lets her lips ghost over his before his grip tightens in her hair and she’s suddenly kissing him. He only lets her lips tease him for a moment before kissing her harder, pressing his lips to her in a desperate motion. They fight for dominance which Kate loses when Seth tugs on her hair once more and makes her gasp. He takes control until she’s out of air and breaks the kiss. He shows no mercy in dragging his mouth down from her lips to her chin and across her jaw where moments ago Richie’s were. There’s a soft noise falling from her lips when she finally lets her eyes open, head tilted back and gaze on the ceiling. Her eyes trail down over the top of Seth’s head to the younger Gecko. Richie is still leaning over Seth’s arm, his mouth is covering the skin but she can see traces of blood at the corners of his mouth. The sight alone makes her shiver and her fingers move up to Seth’s short hair where she wraps her arms around his neck. His own hand slides from her hair to her back and pulls her smaller body closer. There’s a sound of approval against her neck and Kate feels herself smiling, even when he pulls away. Richie pulls away from Seth’s arm and mutters something of a thank you before wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. There is a smear of blood across his bottom lip and Kate crooks her finger over to the younger Gecko. 

Richie raises an eyebrow to her, but obliges her in the end. He moves around Seth and leans down where she reaches up and wipes away the crimson smudge. There’s a slight quirk of his lips before he catches her hand pressing a kiss to the top of it before he releases her. The three of them are silent for a beat or two. Their eyes go back and forth and there is no need for any words. 

This is how the three of them work. Kate knows this because she’s in love with the Gecko brothers. Whether or not they love her too is up for debate some days. Sometimes they give her the world and others, she feels like their hostage again. Both of them are so similar and yet, different. Each one loves her in a different way and she can feel it with each kiss. Every kiss, every touch, and glance is so different. She even feels different with them. Much more alive and willing to move. She doesn’t linger in the past, she doesn’t question God. She lives like most are afraid to with two handsome men at her back to keep her grounded. Then again maybe it’s her who keeps them tethered to the Earth, either way no one is complaining. 

“Alright, it’s going to be dark soon. We should get ready.” Seth breaks the silence and kisses Kate’s cheek before he moves past Richie, clasping a hand on his brother’s shoulder as he passes to the bathroom. They all get ready in silence. Kate eventually takes over the small bathroom and changes into new clothing. She dresses in all black, preparing herself for the funeral of her enemies. Her fingers pull her hair up in to a ponytail and she’s running her fingers over it, smoothing it out as she heads out of the bathroom. Her eyes land on the boys and their suits. It’s always a fancy suit, something crisp and sharp looking around the edges. They look so innocent and handsome like bible-salesmen, but they’re filled with all kinds of surprises from knives to guns, stakes and then some. As she looks at them the dread starts to fill her thoughts. This could be their last night together. This could be their last hunt as a trio. These are the thoughts she normally pushes aside, but for some reason she can’t right now. Kate has no idea how tonight will go and that scares her more than any culebra could. 

“Alright? Everyone ready to get this over with?” Seth asks gesturing to them both and Kate’s hands slip away from her ponytail and down to her throat. Her small fingers move over the gold cross for a moment before she looks at the boys. A sense of realization hits her as her fingers slow their movements and she looks from Richie to Seth. 

“No,” She starts softly and they both turn to look at her with questionable looks on their handsome faces. She clears her throat for a moment and reaches behind her, unclasping the necklace. 

“What are you doing, princess?” 

“Shh…” Kate shushes the man as she moves across the room with small steps. She reaches her hand out and presses the cross in to Richie’s hand. Despite popular belief the cross does not burn his flesh. His fingers close over hers and he’s tilting his head to the side. He has that lost little boy look again. The one he wears when Seth is arguing with him over something gone wrong. 

“What’s this? We’re exchanging gifts? Now? We’re about to go into a nest, Kate.” Richie shakes his head and she blows out an exasperated sigh. 

“I know we’re about to go into a nest but, but…” Kate trails off softly and reaches for her left hand. She pulls on the promise ring that is resting on her ring finger. It slips off easily and she turns, pulling on Seth’s hand and pressing it into his palm, “I want you two to have these. For protection. You’re always protecting me.” 

She sort of shrugs, unsure of how to explain her actions. It’s true though, the boys are always there to protect her. Seth punches first and asks questions later while Richie is elegantly driven with words and when words don’t work, violence. They both keep her safe and she can’t always do the same for them physically, so mentally she gives them a shield. A cross to hold to when she’s too far from his grasp and a ring to promise her return to them. 

“Kate,” Seth speaks up as he moves his hand over hers. The ring is small against his hand. He doesn’t let go of it though, the small piece of silver will hang perfectly from his throat and he won’t take it off unless he has to, “We protect you, because we trust you.” He adds carefully with slow measured words. 

There are no declarations of love. It doesn’t need to be said. Kate knows that and the boys know that, but it doesn’t stop the slight ache in her chest. God may have abandoned her, but the Gecko brother’s promise not to. They don’t say anymore on the subject. Instead Kate watches from the corner of her eye as she gets ready to leave, both boys fastening the pieces of her to their throats. Her cross needs a longer chain because it peeks out from the white dress shirt of Richie’s suit, but her ring is hidden under Seth’s. He’s slipped her ring on to an old chain and tucked it under his shirt where the metal can remind him to go home to her. 

There’s silence even as they leave the motel and pile into the stolen car. Seth and Richie sit up front and Kate prays in the back. Her hands are clasped in her lap to stop the shaking. She’s hunted plenty of times with them. She is just as deadly as the culebra are, but the thoughts of losing either of the boys never really leave her. So while they drive in silence, she laces her fingers together and says a short prayer. If God spares the sinners, she’ll take their place. It’s all she asks for before Richie turns in his seat and gives her a once over, a smirk quirking at the corner of his mouth. It’s the same mouth that was attached to Seth’s arm, drinking away his life and Kate can’t stop herself as she slides to the edge of the back seat and kisses him. 

It’s short and sweet and she leans over the center console a little more and presses her lips to Seth’s cheek. His stubble burns along her bottom lip but, she loves it and he smiles when she kisses him once more before turning and pressing her lips to Richie’s forehead. They’re closer now to the nest, a building off to the edge of the city. It looks like any old warehouse would at the edge of the desert. Except the windows are darkened and there are only ‘No Trespassing’ signs in Spanish plastered all over it. It’s perfect for them to raid and abandon before attracting unwanted attention. 

Seth parks further down the road and keeps the car out of sight from prying eyes. He doesn’t want to announce their presence yet and he doesn’t want any nosy police running the tags. They’re calm, smart and calculated when it comes to their hunts. They get in, they get out, and they destroy all evidence before moving to the next city. 

“Ready?” Seth asks as he glances over at the two of them. Both Kate and Richie nod like good little soldiers and they take one last look at each other. Silence ticks by before Seth is out of the car first, followed by Richie who opens Kate’s door and holds his hand out to her. She takes it and wraps her fingers around his palm. She’s no longer shaking and the sense of dread is gone. Adrenaline starts its course through her veins when the trunk opens and Seth pulls out the duffle bags. 

They are trained professionals and walk in a line of three towards the warehouse. The kick of red dust is everywhere, the sun is starting its descent in the sky and Seth is the first one to fire a shot into the lock on the warehouse doors. The three enter in a blaze of glory, come to deliver justice to the undead. They've come to find a Snake Queen but, she’s not here. Plenty of her men are and they won’t go down easily. They fight until there is nothing left. There are bodies and their pieces everywhere. Everything is coated in red and black, ashes from the staked vampires mixing in to the air. Kate is covered in blood, but none of it is hers. Some of the bodies begin their decay, not all of them go as fast as the ones who were staked and it’s then she hears the sirens in the distance. Richie yells something across the warehouse and Seth yells something back. She can’t exactly hear them over the sound of her heart in her chest. She’s on a rush of adrenaline and it’s hard to clear her panic away. The vampires are dead for a second time around. They leave no one alive and Richie is yelling something else out pointing at her and then to the door. Kate’s brows are furrowing and she’s not sure where to go but she heads for the doors, tripping over the dead. 

The police are there within minutes. When she runs out of the warehouse for the boys, she is surrounded by red and blue lights. There’s a sense of dread that rushes over her before the gun toting police are surrounded her. The stake drops from her hands and she’s got both of them up but she’s shaking. Her head whips over her shoulder and she expects to see both of the Geckos there, but they’re not. No one is there but the open doors of the warehouse and the decaying bodies of the culebra. Her stomach feels like she’s swallowed a stone, dropping low in her belly, and the sense of dread is overwhelming as she turns her head back to the police. Her eyes are blinded by flashing lights and she can only shake as hands are on her, throwing her to the ground. 

Kate is arrested on the brink of dawn.


End file.
